30 Seconds With Ryan Beatty

When the opportunity to interview a fast-rising 16-year-old pop star named Ryan Beatty, I initially wrote him off as a Bieber clone, which would be like aural equivalent of Xeroxing the act of stepping on a LEGO. When I did finally sit down and give a listen to Beatty though, I have to admit there really is something there. He's got a Mrazian gift of phrase, and a voice that manages to showcase its youth without inspiring a listener to tell him to get off our lawn.

Take "Every Little Thing," for example. No great shakes in the visual presentation, but the tune is a definite earworm that is destined to accompany a hundred future relationship montages in romantic comedies. It's a cool soda on a hot day of a sound, and I sat down to see what I could learn about the boy behind it in 30 seconds.

Rocks Off: What is the best lyric in the world?

Ryan Beatty: This is one of my favorite lyrics -- "By the time I recognize this moment, this moment will be gone" from John Mayer's "Clarity."